1. Field of Invention
The present invention pertains to a waste ink storage apparatus for storing waste ink in the context of inkjet printer(s), and more specifically pertains to a waste ink storage apparatus permitting waste ink from waste ink tube(s) to be absorbed by waste ink absorption pad(s).
2. Conventional Art
Inkjet printer waste ink storage apparatuses designed to cause waste ink to be efficiently absorbed by waste ink absorption pads have existed conventionally. For example, with the electronic equipment disclosed at Japanese Patent Application Publication Kokai No. 2000-168107, waste ink sucked from a recording head during recording head maintenance or the like is caused to be directly absorbed onto a waste ink absorption pad from a discharge orifice. In this constitution, the waste ink discharge orifice and waste ink absorption pad are brought into intimate contact as a result of attaching this waste ink container in inclined fashion.
Furthermore, other waste ink storage apparatuses include those provided with an inclined guide wall that guides waste ink to a waste ink absorption pad, such as is disclosed at Japanese Patent Application Publication Kokai No. H7-89084 (1995); and here as well, waste ink from a waste ink tube is caused to be rapidly absorbed by a waste ink absorption pad.
Moreover, other waste ink storage apparatuses include those such as is disclosed at Japanese Patent Application Publication Kokai No. 2000-141705 wherein the layers of a multilayer waste ink absorption pad are respectively provided with through-holes, rapid penetration down to the bottom layer of the waste ink absorption pad being achieved as a result of the fact that respective waste ink absorption pad layers are laminated in mutually staggered fashion to form layers wherein a portion of the through-holes thereof are in communication with one another so as to permit waste ink from a waste ink tube to flow down the staircase-like layers of the waste ink absorption pad.
However, the foregoing conventional apparatuses have problems such as the following.
First, where the waste ink container is attached in inclined fashion, because the waste ink absorption pad on the waste ink container bottom is in intimate contact with the tip of the waste ink tube, area over which initiation of absorption by the waste ink absorption pad of waste ink from the waste ink tube occurs will be extremely small and limited.
Furthermore, where an inclined guide wall that guides waste ink to a waste ink absorption pad is provided, because waste ink from the waste ink tube is first made to collide with the guide wall before being guided to the waste ink absorption pad, waste ink is made to splash when it collides with the guide wall.
Moreover, where waste ink absorption pad layers are laminated in staggered fashion such that a portion of the respective through-holes are in communication with one another, while a portion of the through-holes are in communication, promoting propagation of waste ink, area over which initiation of absorption by the waste ink absorption pad of waste ink from the waste ink tube occurs will be small.
Now, when waste ink drips onto a waste ink absorption pad on a waste ink container bottom, waste ink diffuses outward from the location on the waste ink absorption pad onto which the waste ink drips, absorption of waste ink proceeding with the location on the waste ink absorption pad which is nearest to the location of the dripping ink serving as waste ink absorption center. Moreover, waste ink absorbed into the interior of the waste ink absorption pad propagates through the waste ink absorption pad interior, diffusion also occurring at the interior of the waste ink absorption pad. However, as discharge of waste ink continues, and dripping of waste ink continues to be concentrated at the waste ink absorption center, the rate at which waste ink propagates through the interior of the waste ink absorption pad slows, and the rate at which waste ink is absorbed at the waste ink absorption center slows. This being the case, if the rate at which waste ink is absorbed at the waste ink absorption center drops below the rate at which waste ink is discharged (the rate at which ink is dripping), discharged waste ink may be carried along the ink container bottom, moving from the original waste ink absorption center to a new waste ink absorption center At such time, it being the case that waste ink must necessarily pass through the original waste ink absorption center before it can be absorbed into the interior of the waste ink absorption pad, the original waste ink absorption center will not absorb waste ink but will nonetheless be wetted by waste ink until the discharged waste ink is absorbed by the new waste ink absorption center. In such cases, depending upon the properties of the waste ink, waste ink may increase in viscosity and block fluid paths traveled by waste ink near the original waste ink absorption center or may stick to the waste ink absorption pad and interfere with absorption of waste ink.
Due to occurrence of such phenomena, with the aforementioned conventional apparatus in which waste ink container attached in inclined fashion, because the waste ink absorption pad on the waste ink container bottom is in intimate contact with the tip of the waste ink tube, area over which initiation of absorption by the waste ink absorption pad of waste ink from the waste ink tube occurs will be extremely small and limited, in which case blocking of fluid paths traveled by waste ink near the original waste ink absorption center and sticking of waste ink will tend to occur as described above, preventing waste ink from the waste ink tube from being efficiently absorbed by the waste ink absorption pad.
Furthermore, with the aforementioned conventional apparatus in which an inclined guide wall that guides waste ink is provided, because waste ink from the waste ink tube is first made to collide with the guide wall before being guided to the waste ink absorption pad, while blocking of fluid paths traveled by waste ink near the original waste ink absorption center and sticking of waste ink do not tend to occur, waste ink is nonetheless made to splash when it collides with the guide wall, preventing waste ink from the waste ink tube from being efficiently absorbed by the waste ink absorption pad.
Moreover, where waste ink absorption pad layers are laminated in staggered fashion such that a portion of the respective through-holes are in communication with one another, while a portion of the through-holes are in communication, promoting propagation of waste ink, it is still the case that area over which initiation of absorption by the waste ink absorption pad of waste ink from the waste ink tube occurs is small, and waste ink from the waste ink tube is for similar reasons prevented from being efficiently absorbed by the waste ink absorption pad.